Push It All Away
by Akayla's Pierced Heart
Summary: Cordelia, a telekinetic human, finds herself being hunted by the volturi. She runs to the Cullens for protection and gets imprinted on. Will the Cullens and wolves save her from the Volturi or will her fragile mind break before anyone can reach her.
1. Chapter 1

Cordelia ran as fast as she could through the thick green forest. As she ran she kept her hands in front of her ready to push away anything that could make her trip. Glancing over her shoulder she saw the vampire break from her mind's hold and start after her again. She turned and threw her arms out toward the vampire as if she were pushing something heavy. The strain was becoming too much for her. The vampire hit a tree with so much force that the tree snapped in half. She didn't wait to see how far away the vampire landed. She was running again. But her concentration was wearing down. She knew she didn't have the strength to rip him apart but she might be able to fend him off long enough to get away. She glanced back just long enough to see that the vampire was no longer behind her. As her eyes shifted back she hit something hard and was thrown backwards. The vampire was standing over her. His red eyes glared down at her.

"Gotcha!" He hissed excitedly. "The Volturi will reward me for thisss.." He moved to grab her and she flung her hands in front of her face. The vampire was thrown back. She stood, still dazed, but managed to hold him back. He struggled against the hold and blood trickled from her nose. "You can't keep this up forever you know." He smiled wickedly. Cordelia's eyes shifted slightly and her grimace faded into a grin.

"I don't have to." She released the hold. A fraction of a second later a huge black wolf charged at the vampire knocking him back. Cordelia fell to the ground exhausted. She saw flashes of grey and brown pass by her in the direction of the vampire. All at once the howls died away and a single voice was speaking.

"Take her to the Cullen's. The doc can look at her." She felt herself being lifted. Warmth hit her and her muscles began to relax. She gazed up into a pair of concerned brown eyes.

"You're safe." A voice whispered. Then the world melted away.

"That's her! That's the girl I saw. I'm sure of it." Cordelia kept her eyes shut as a very feminine voice spoke excitedly. Cordelia's head ached and her body was begging her mind to just let her rest.

"Alice, she can hear you. Don't scare her." This voice was male and velvety. "Miss, you can open your eyes, we won't hurt you." Cordelia peeked open her eyes and blinked at the brightness that assaulted her. The lights dimmed slightly. "Is that better?" She only nodded still not wanting to sit up from her reclined position. Slowly she let her eyes wonder around checking the eyes of everyone around her. "Don't worry." The velvety voice spoke again. "We are vampires but we don't harm humans. We're the ones you've been looking for." Cordelia sat up suddenly and then regretted it. The room spun around her. Cold hands reached out and held her shoulders. She faced a blond vampire with gentle golden eyes.

"You should lie back." He spoke like he knew what he was talking about so she obeyed. "Edward can you…"

"Yes." The male with the velvety voice got up and left. Cordelia took a second to wonder where he was just sent off to. The blond vampire brought her attention back to his face.

"My name is Carlisle. Can you tell me your's?"

"Cordelia Howard." Her voice cracked.

"Are you feeling any pains or soreness?" Cordelia looked at him questioningly. "I'm a doctor. I can help you."

"I just have a headache. It'll pass."

"My son Edward is making something for you to eat. Is there anyone I can call for you? Family?"

"No, I don't have anyone." A shadow passed over her face and she saw Edward return with a food tray. The pitying look he gave her just then caught her off guard and she quickly looked down.

"If you need a place to stay while you get better you are more than welcome to take Edward's old room. He and his wife Bella have their own house now." Carlisle nodded towards a dark haired female near the door.

"I.." Cordelia started to speak but Edward interrupted her.

"Cordelia you don't need to explain anything. We know who you are and why you're here. We won't let the Volturi get to you. You're safe." Those last two words caused a spark in Cordelia's memory. _You're safe_. Someone else had said that to her. Those concerned brown eyes flashed through her memory. "Hmm." She heard Edward say. She looked at him curiously. "Sorry." He seemed almost embarrassed. "I can read the thoughts of people around me."

"Oh." The one word held a lot of weight. Cordelia realized that he had been reading all of her thoughts about the vampire that was chasing her, the Volturi, and her family. It also explained how he knew who she was and why she had been looking for the Cullens and the shape shifters. "Would you mind explaining to them? I just don't feel up to it."

"Of course. We'll leave you to eat." Edward said already standing up. It wasn't until they all started to clear out that Cordelia saw the room she was in. It looked like a mad science lab. The tray in front of her made her eyes go wide. A tuna salad sandwich, chocolate chip cookies, and a tall glass of tea. She could smell the mint in the tea. How had he known her favorite? Oh yeah, mind reader… She'd have to get used to that. She looked up again and found she wasn't alone. He was tall, lean, and very muscular. Even through his sleeveless shirt she could see his chest was well defined. His black hair was cut short but still fell slightly over his forehead. It was his eyes that captured her. She knew those eyes. They were fixed on her; set with a mixture of concern and something she couldn't quite identify.

"Embry." Edward's voice called. This made the young man jump slightly. "Let her eat." Reluctantly he left the room after throwing her one last longing look. Slightly shaken, Cordelia began to eat.

Back in the front room the Cullens found themselves joined by Jacob, Renesme (who now looked around nine), Sam, Quill, and Embry who came in slowly. "I know, but she needs to rest. And you need to hear this." Edward said directly at Embry. He just nodded and sat down on the floor next to Quill.

Edward sighed and glanced towards Bella before he began. "Cordelia, who I get the impression actually prefers Cordy, is telekinetic. She can move things with her mind. Basically her mind uses psychic energy to manipulate matter. She can use her power to move an object across the room, or to rip apart a vampire into a million pieces." Renesme gasped. "Don't worry, she won't hurt us. She's here to ask us for help. Her family was on vacation in Scotland a year ago. Cordy had just gotten accepted into MIT for a science program and her parents took her on the trip as a gift. They were on a tour when four vampires attacked their bus. At this point Cordy's gift was like a flickering candle. She had had the powers her whole life, but she was too scared to really use them, so she was weak. But watching vampires murder her parents turned that flickering flame into a raging inferno. By the time it was all over, she had torn apart three of the vampires. The fourth ran. He went straight to Aro." Bella hissed. "He showed Aro what had happened and Aro set out messengers telling every vampire they could find that if they found Cordy, they were to bring her to Aro. He wanted to turn her himself. Any vampire who aided in bringing Cordy, still human, to him was going to be rewarded."

"How do you know all that? Can you read Aro now?" Quill interrupted.

"No but I'm getting to that." Edward went on. "Two months ago in Peru, a group of seven vampires found Cordy. She had been living there since her parents died. Her mother had friends there. She managed to destroy three of them but she weakened herself. They took her prisoner and got her pretty close to Italy. They sent one ahead to announce their arrival. I'm sure Aro was not pleased when they never showed up." Edward grinned. "They had stopped for the night to hunt and Cordy was pretending to sleep. She heard them talking about Aro and the reward. How he wanted to use Cordy as a weapon against other vampires who had stood against the Volturi. That's how she learned about the "strange yellow eyed vampires" and the wolves who were allied with us. She made up her mind then that she would try to escape and find us. That was the moment Alice saw her. That's how she knew Cordy would be in the woods today running from the last remaining vampire who had captured her."

"Way to go Al." Alice glared at the nickname Quill kept calling her.

"So what's the deal with Embry?" Emmet had not missed the way Edward had been talking to Embry earlier.

"It seems Embry has finally imprinted." Edward said hesitantly.

"Why is she rejecting me?" Embry sounded desperate. "I can literally feel her pushing me away. Is it her powers?"

"Well, yes and no. Her powers have weakened her mind. It's like any muscle. If you over extend it, you have to give it time to heal. Right now her mind has been pushed so far that it's hard for her to focus on anything, including the fact that she has been imprinted on. She's not pushing you, her mind just can't calculate properly right now. The headache she mentioned is her mind pushed almost to the breaking point. Once she has healed, she will feel the effects of your imprint on her." Embry let out a relieved sigh. Bella shared a smirk with Jacob.

"Well, if Embry did imprint on her, she's already under the protection of our pack." Jacob spoke casually but everyone caught his meaning.

"Our pack as well." Sam finally spoke. "Do you think this will cause the Volturi to return here?" His question was directed at Carlisle.

"Eventually yes, but Alice will tell us when." Alice perked up and smiled.

"I don't see anything yet. No decision has been made. Aro might still be waiting on news from the vampires Cordy has already atomized. So we may have a lot of time." Edward suddenly stood up.

"It seems our guest is done eating. She's coming in here." They could all hear her light steps pattering towards them. Slowly, all of them stood, not wanting to make sudden movements to frighten her as she came into view. Alice cringed slightly at the girl's torn and dirty jeans and bloodstained sweatshirt.

"Cordy if you'd like, I can get you something else to wear." Bella rolled her eyes at Alice's inability to restrain the fashion beast inside her. Cordelia glanced down at her clothes and comprehension finally dawned on her face. When she looked back up their were tears in her eyes. Edward could hear her mind break as the memories of whose blood was on her clothes came rushing back. A strangled cry unleashed from deep inside her and all the furniture in the room suddenly lifted three feet and then crashed down. Cordelia collapsed onto her hands and knees still weeping. Embry reached her first. He gently lifted her carried her to the couch. He shot Edward a pained look.

"Her mind is still in shock, just give her a few moments. She's very fragile." Edward mumbled almost inaudibly. Frustration filled Embry's eyes but he nodded. "Cordy, Alice is right. We need to get you cleaned up. So when you feel alright..." She nodded. He could feel her mind retreat and switch to auto-pilot. Her mind registered only necessity, no emotion. He wondered for a brief second if this was what Bella's mind did when he first left her… He shook his head and focused on Cordelia as she began to stand and let Alice and Esme lead her upstairs.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why?" Embry tried very hard to stay calm. "Why can't I see her. It's been a week." He tried to control the shaking. If he blew up and phased again Carlisle wouldn't let him in the door. "I'm sorry for yesterday. It won't happen again." Carlisle looked at him warily before opening the door wide enough to allow him access. The vamp stench hit him hard. After being away for so long he had gotten the smell out of his nose. It was like having it sprayed right in his face. Cringing, he passed by Carlisle and scanned the front room for any sign of Cordy. He had to hold back his glare when Bella came down the stairs with that look in her eyes. He knew Bella hadn't forgiven him for phasing at the house so close to Renesmee. Everyone knew Nessie had super human healing abilities but that didn't stop an overprotective mother bear from freaking out when a shape-shifter phased in front of her little girl.

'Don't roll your eyes at her just think of Cordy.' The last person he wanted to piss off was Bella. She and Alice had taken it upon themselves to be Cordy's guides as she adjusted to living with vampires. From what he could get out of Jake's thoughts Cordy was still on auto-pilot. Only reacting to necessity and not letting any emotion through. It killed Embry inside. Every time Jake phased Embry had to see that blank stare on Cordy's beautiful face. Yesterday had been his breaking point. He had been in his wolf form running patrols near the border of Cullen land when he heard Cordy's voice in his head. He knew immediately that Jake was in wolf form and it was really him who could hear Cordy, but her voice carried on into Embry's thoughts.

"Sometimes I wish I had just died with my parents." Her voice was totally dead-pan. "It would have been easier on everyone if I had. So many people have died because of me. If the Volturi come for me, just hand me over. Bella, please don't die for me." Embry had skidded to an abrupt halt. 'No!' His head was screaming.

"_Embry, calm down." _Jake tried to reason with him but he was already on his way to the house. Before Jake could say anything else to him he was already phasing back to human and throwing himself into his jean shorts while still running for the house. When he got to the front door he begged to be let in. Bella of course got all protective and told him he had to calm down before she would expose Cordy to him. That had done it. That accusational tone topped by the fact that none of the Cullens had let him near the house since Cordy's breakdown because "her mind is just too fragile to handle being imprinted on right now." They had kept him from her long enough. Now, when she needed his comfort the most, they refused to let him go to her. He could actually feel a snap in his chest from the pain this was causing his heart. Then he snapped too.

As the memory of Bella's enraged expression flowed past him he did his best to give her a slightly less than apologetic look. He knew he should sit down, it would look less hostile when Cordy came in. But he was too jittery to even _stand_ still, let alone sit. Alice came dancing down the stairs and Embry knew Cordy wouldn't be far. He quickly looked down at himself and cursed silently. His hair was wind-blown, his sweatshirt was stained with mud, and his jeans hadn't been washed in who knew how long. Great first impression…

"Hello." His head snapped up. Her hair was down. It stopped short at her neck framing her face. Her hair had been pinned back the first time he saw her. The mud had made her hair look dark brown but he now saw it was a light auburn brown. The bright green eyes that had haunted his every thought were now staring straight at him. He opened his mouth to speak but the part of his brain that affected speech had suddenly shorted out. Cordy looked to Bella as if asking what was going on.

"You remember Embry Call don't you?" Alice stepped in. "He was one of the shape-shifters who rescued you. Embry carried you here." Alice was working her way up Embry's favorite person list with record speed. Then Embry's knees felt like jelly. Cordy looked right at him and smiled.

"Do you want to sit down?" Bella and Alice were both taken aback. It was the first time Cordy had spoken with any hint of emotion. They both edged out of the room quietly. Embry glanced around. Sit on couch where she would possibly sit next to him, or one of the chairs? He sat on the end of the couch. He held his breath as he watched her move toward a chair. She abruptly changed course at the last second and sat on the end of the couch opposite him. She placed her back against the arm of the couch so she was facing him. Her athletic legs were clad in jeans and he could see someone had painted her toenails with bright pink gloss. Her navy blue shirt stopped above her elbows and he grimaced when he saw the yellow bruises scattered on her arms. It took him only seconds to take in her appearance but he felt like he had been staring at her for hours.

"I'm sorry, I tried to see you sooner." He finally found his voice and tried not to ramble but it just came out. "They told me you didn't feel up to visitors just yet."

"Yeah, I uh…" She sounded slightly embarrassed. "I had to give my mind time to…" She hesitated.

"Adjust?"

"Yeah." Her eyes darted away from his face. "I kinda asked them not to let you in… Sorry."

"Can I ask why?" He felt panic rise up but kept his voice level.

"I uh… I'm not sure. I just felt odd every time your name was mentioned. I finally got Jake to tell me why."

"What did he say?" Embry shortly calculated the odds of him taking Jake down in a fight.

"He told me a bunch of old stories about the shape-shifters and something called imprinting." Embry stopped planning his fight and started planning a thank-you speech. "Jake explained it to me about him and Nessie. Is it true? Did you imprint on me?"

"Yes." He sighed with relief.

"So I'm your soul mate?" He could only nod. She moved closer to him and his skin tingled. Slowly her hands found his. She wrapped his arms around him and laid her head on his chest. He kept one arm securely around her and brushed her hair away from her face so he could still see her eyes.

"No one will ever hurt you again Cordy. I promise."

"I know." She looked into his eyes. "I'm safe."

Jake had seen everything from the kitchen. He nearly jumped when he heard Edward beside him.

"Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?" Edward sounded amused.

"I'm sure you know better than anyone." Jake shot back in a whisper. "Are they gonna be okay?" He suddenly sounded serious. That was his best friend out there.

"Yes, she's very calm now. The things she has been feeling finally make sense to her. When he was away from her she felt empty. That combined with all she's been through made her nearly suicidal. But just a few minutes with him and she's already getting better. I think he sort of heals her in a way." Edward pondered for a second. "Does Renesmee do that to you?"

"You mean heal?"

"Yes."

"Yeah. If anything upsets me or makes me mad… She's like a painkiller extraordinaire. She numbs all the negativity in me… Is that what you're reading from her?"

"Almost exactly. She isn't thinking about anything but how warm he feels right now."

"Maybe you should back outta her head before she starts thinking something else." He turned to face Edward grinning.

"You mean like your conversation with Emmett this morning?" Edward's face darkened. Jake's eyes bulged and he bolted out the back door. "I'm going to have to have a talk with Emmett later." Edward mumbled to himself while heading for the garage.

Back on the couch Embry was still stroking Cordy's hair; enjoying how soft it was. She moaned slightly when his fingertips touched her scalp. She was so relaxed she started to doze off. Minutes passed and he could feel her body slump as she fell asleep. Embry closed his own eyes and let his body relax.

"Kwop kilawtley." He whispered in her ear just before slipping away.

No one could have known but right about that time Edward had found Emmett. Emmett had just been washing mud off the jeep when Edward walked right up behind him, picked him up, and swiftly threw him several feet. Emmett was back on his feet in a second and was surprised to find it was Edward who had thrown him.

"What's the deal?" Emmett demanded.

"That was for putting indecent thoughts about my daughter into Jacob's head. I heard your little conversation with him this morning." Emmett looked confused. "You know the one where you mentioned how funny it was going to be when I hear him and my daughter being… Intimate, in my head."

"Oh, come on." Emmett took a step towards Edward. "You gotta admit, it was pretty funny. Just think, you'll always know what they are up to. I just said that on their honeymoon they should go to like to the other end of the planet so you can't hear…" Edward's eyes narrowed and Emmett took a step back. Emmett might be able to take Edward in a fight, but not when he was in 'protective daddy' mode.

"Just make sure you don't put any more thoughts in his head. I get enough misery from what's already there." Edward stalked away.

(A.N. "_Kwop kilawtley" _means "stay with me forever" in Quileute. Thanx for all the great reviews. I'll try to post more next time.)


	3. Chapter 3

Cordy sat on the bank of the stream that bordered the Cullen lawn wearing muddy jeans and a stained white blouse. Her bare feet were cold from the splashing water but her mind was too focused to care. She lifted her hands into the air with her palms facing outward. Only inches away form her palms was a ball of mud the size of a quarter. It hovered for a few seconds before shooting away from her. It hit a tree over a hundred yards away and splattered on impact. She smiled. Her aim was improving. Emmett had drawn (with his fingernails) a bulls-eye on the very tree she had just hit. It had taken her a lot of daily practice before she could hit it dead center every time.

Focusing more on accuracy and less on overall strength made it easier for her to use her power over a longer period of time without burning out. It had been Jasper's idea. Jasper also helped unlock the key to her power. Her emotions ruled her. If she could focus more on her objective rather than her emotions, it caused a lot less of a headache. Letting the rage and hurt take over was what led to her near comatose state. Having Jasper around to help control her emotional climate had also helped. She didn't like having Embry around at first. Her worst fear was going into overload and him getting in the way. Vampires could be put back together. Not so much a guarantee with shape-shifters. So Embry had contended to her wishes and watched her practice from far off in the woods. When Jasper finally proclaimed she was in control of herself she had allowed Embry to get closer. It was sometimes hard for her to believe how protective she had already become of _her_ Embry.

Once she had gained control of her emotions, which took all of three months, she started focusing on aim and accuracy. She knew she could always get to strength later. Emmett had (for some insane reason) volunteered to be her guinea pig. He would stand several yards away from her and challenge her to only rip off a finger. The first few days all she could do was shatter his arm. It was difficult to focus on _only_ his finger. Rosalie watched from the house, scowling every time Emmett had to re-set his arm. The first time Cordy actually did rip off his finger Rose had come bounding out of the house ready to rip off Cordy's head. Cordy had thrown her back easily. Rose spent the next few hours apologizing to her under Alice's glare. But Cordy understood how hard it was for Rose to watch her lover be ripped apart. From then on, they picked their practice spots farther away from the house.

When Cordy began practicing on the tree it had been hard enough to create a perfectly shaped mud ball. Mud was hard to work with because it wasn't all solid. She had to focus extra hard to keep it intact long enough to throw it. But the challenge had paid off. "You have to take baby steps Cordelia." Jasper always used her full name. Somehow from him, it never bothered her. She had once berated her mother for naming her after a snobby cheerleader who fought vampires on T.V. Now, she found it funny.

"You're getting better." Her head snapped around at the sound of Emmett's voice. The mud ball that had been floating in front of her exploded and splattered all over her blouse. "Alice is gonna be pissed. She liked that shirt." Cordy spared a glance for her clothes and shrugged. Focusing hard she clinched her hands together and squinted her eyes shut. The drops of mud that had landed on her face and neck slowly slid off of her until her skin was mud free. "Cool. How long have you been able to do that?" He plopped down beside her.

"A few days. I did it first with paint. Paint is thick so it was easy. Mud and water are harder." Emmett knew that before making mud balls she had practiced with paint balls left over from Jasper and Emmett's paint ball gun battles. He nodded looking impressed. "Wanna see something else?" He saw a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Sure." She stood up and put her hands in front of her at waist length. It helped her to visualize where she wanted something to move if she used her hands. She moved her hands to elbow length and Emmett actually gasped. As her hands moved up, so did her whole body, until she was hovering nearly three feet above the ground. Her hands began to shake. After a few seconds her whole body trembled. Emmett heard a sharp bark to his left. His head turned to see Embry in his wolf form. He hadn't seen him before because he was lying behind a huge rock. Embry was on his feet now staring straight at Cordy. Emmett's eyes flew back to her and he stood up too. Her nose began to bleed. Embry barked again, this time more aggressively. Cordy opened her eyes and hit the ground on her hands and knees.

"Are you okay?" Emmett and Embry both rushed to her. Embry let out a disapproving growl. Cordy let Emmett help her up.

"I'm okay." Embry huffed. "He doesn't like it when I do that." She smiled and inclined her head towards Embry who grunted.

"I can see why." Cordy shoved her feet into her sandals and wiped her nose on the collar of her blouse. "Now Alice is really gonna be pissed." She shrugged again and all three of them made their way to the house.

Once inside Embry bounded up the stairs most likely headed for what was now Cordy's room. His clothes were in there. He still lived with his mom but he was only home between midnight and 7 or 8 a.m. Sam had finally caved and allowed Embry to tell is mother everything. The only question she had for him was when would she get to meet Cordy.

They had met the next day at Sam and Emily's house for lunch. Cordy was thrilled to be accepted by Embry's mom, Deanna, so easily. Deanna had offered to let Cordy stay at her house but she didn't feel comfortable moving in with Embry so soon. The only other request Deanna had was for Embry to finish school. He had opted to be home schooled by Carlisle but it was more or less and excuse to be around Cordy all the time. He stayed with her until she fell asleep and he either fell asleep on a couch downstairs, or phased and ran back home.

A lot had happened on the reservation since Cordy had arrived. Sam was now deputy-sheriff of the reservation police force. He was doing what he had always done. The only difference now was that he was state-funded and had a uniform. He had refused to carry a weapon but no one had asked why. Paul would be next in line as soon as he turned eighteen and went through the six week police academy course. Most of Sam's pack could be found around the small two-room station on the reservation when they weren't out patrolling.

Bella's dad, Charlie, and Sue Clearwater were officially dating. No one heard wedding bells in the future but Bella seemed happy for him. She was gone every other day with Nessie visiting Charlie. She wanted to get in as much time as she could before the Cullens had to move away. Cordy tried not to think about life without her new family. She knew she would always have Embry but the back of her mind reminded her that he would far out-live her. What would he do without her. If she was like Nessie or Bella she could stay with him for decades before he started to age… But becoming a vampire, even though she loved the Cullens, was the most horrifying thing she could think of.

"No!" Alice's shrill screech ripped Cordy out of her reverie. "What have you done to that blouse?" She could hear Emmett snicker. Before Cordy could respond she was being grabbed and carried up the stairs. She didn't bother trying to resist. Once in Alice and Jasper's room she was unceremoniously stripped and redressed. "There, now you at least look presentable." Alice said while twisting Cordy around so that she faced a full length mirror. Presentable wasn't the word Cordy would have used for the light blue sun dress Alice had shoved her into. It stopped just below her knees. Cordy wasn't a fan of strapless dresses but this one clung to her slightly so she wouldn't have to constantly pull it up. She grimaced as Alice pulled her hair out of the claw-clip and brushed it quickly. "He likes it better down." Alice stepped away from her finally. "There, I've done all I can." As she turned to leave she tossed a pair of white sandals at Cordy.

Embry met Cordy at the bottom of the staircase and whistled quietly. He smiled at her blush. She still hadn't gotten used to him constantly complimenting her. In school she was always a nerd who everyone ignored. Being adored outside of family was a new concept for her. She let him take her hand and walk her into the dinning room. They had most of their meals together. Esme loved having a reason to use her high tech kitchen, so all of their meals were pretty extravagant. Considering only she, Jake, Embry, and sometimes Nessie ever ate, Cordy wondered if it was worth the trouble. But Esme seemed to thrive when she was taking care of other people.

Something else Cody hadn't expected when she first came here was how close she was getting to Esme. Not only was cooking something they both enjoyed, but Cordy was finding a new passion in design. Esme loved restoring old homes and doing interior design. Cordy was always a science nerd but Esme was opening up her inner artist. When Cordy wasn't busy with target practice or spending quality time with Embry she was usually with Esme on the computer or in the garden. She missed her mother terribly but being around Esme was like putting aloe on a bad burn.

Carlisle had also taken her under his wing. She had been on her way to college for a degree in medicine research. Her mother used to brag that Cordy would one day find a cure for cancer. Cordy didn't know about that but she enjoyed being Carlisle's pupil. He had offered to help send her to the best medical school but she had turned him down. She just wasn't ready to go anywhere yet. "The offer will always be open to you." Was his understanding reply.

Tonight Esme was experimenting with Tai food. Cordy thought she had done rather well. She had cleared two plates before stopping. Another thing she had learned from using her power was that it gave her a faster metabolism. Alice had laughed and told her she was on a telekinetic diet, guaranteed to keep her a size four forever.

Her mind wandered as she walked out onto the porch. She could feel Embry watching her but he didn't follow her. The sunset painted its way across the sky in brilliant orange and pink colors peeking out from the light cloud coverage. She had been trying to find a way to tell Embry that she desperately wanted to go back to her old home. She had no intention of living there or selling it, but she wanted to get her personal things and some pictures that were there. Patterson was about forty miles south of Stockton, California. It wouldn't be too much of a trip. Cordy just wasn't sure how comfortable she felt asking Embry and possibly Edward or Jasper to all go on a road trip together.

Before she knew it, Cordy had walked all the way back down to the stream. She turned and found she was alone. This was odd. None of the vampires or Embry had ever let her wander off alone before. She shrugged and kept walking, crossing the stream in the most shallow spot. She hardly noticed the cold water or the darkness growing around her as she continued on. As she went deeper into the woods she could hear all the night songs begin. The stream trickled behind her, birds chirped, insects buzzed and whirred, a twig snapped.

Wait. She stopped abruptly She knew _she_ hadn't stepped on a twig. Her eyes narrowed squinting into the darkness. She took a defensive stance and put her hands in front of her. Her eyes swiveled around wildly trying to find what was moving so heavily in the woods. Her mind screamed for her to run. But she knew she needed to save her energy if she was about to have to fight. She concentrated hard on picturing the interior of the Cullen house. She had to get them a message. The living room had a rug on the wooden floor. There was a long coffee table in front of the big screen T.V. There were three vases on the table. She squeezed her fists shut and hoped this worked. Her attention returned to the woods around her. She dared not move.

Inside the Cullen house Edward was on the couch watching the news with Jasper and Bella when a vase on the table in front of him suddenly shattered. He searched for Cordy in his mind. When he heard what she was thinking he bolted up and ran for the woods. Embry saw him race out the back door and followed him without question. There were very few things that would make Edward run like that. When Edward reached Cordy he found that not only had Embry followed him, but so had everyone else except Esme. Jacob's thoughts told him that Esme had stayed at the house with Nessie. He knew there was someone else in the woods.

"It's alright." Edward said aloud. Embry went to stand in front of Cordy anyways. "It's only Eleazer." As he spoke Eleazer stepped forward. "Thank you for coming to warn us." Embry stiffened. Cordy had met Eleazer and the other Denali vampires a month ago. They were fascinated by her gift and the news of her being the object of imprinting.

"Warn us?" Bella asked.

"Alistair has heard about Aro's offer of a reward for your newest family member." Eleazer spoke quietly. Several snarls interrupted him. "He came asking me for help in getting her away from you. We all refused. He left soon after to look for some who might help him. I thought you might want to consider relocating for a while." He paused as Embry wrapped his arms around Cordy. "You could stay in Denali, we would help protect you." He seemed to speak only to Cordy.

"What do want to do?" Carlisle asked Cordy. Everyone turned at looked at her. Embry's hold tightened

"I…" .


End file.
